2 month old welsummer pullet sick, is it mareks?

[steph5253]

I will def call tomorrow, I have two avian vets withig thirty min drive.

What protein do you recommend?

 

[cjpines]

I will def call tomorrow, I have two avian vets withig thirty min drive.

What protein do you recommend?

I assume you mean feed? I feed organic non GMO starter/grower feed from Barale feed 20% protein. Also, I gave my sick chicken, which was recommended by this group, electrolytes nutritional advantage by Poultry Nutri-Drench, got it at Tractor Store.

My best thoughts will be with you for a good solution for your little Welsummer's care.

 

[cjpines]

Our grannies had real chickens. The mutated things they breed now that have to eat medicated feed, be vaccinated and live in a climate controlled enviroment in order to live for just 2 years and lay 500 eggs barely qualify as a chicken if you ask me.

You hit the nail head with your comment regarding our grannies chickens and how they are treated in hatcheries today. I so agree. My grandparents raised chickens for poultry sale and I never heard about all these diseases that seem to be so common. Thanks for your comment and I hope others read this because it clears up many questions why our hens are getting sickly.

 

[sanchabird]

My RIR passed away about a month ago from what I highly suspect was Mareks. She was 2 years old. It started with her standing really still, next day she was laying on the concrete under the porch. I called my feed store, was told to check for egg binding, wasn't that. I called back the next day because she was the same, but couldn't walk very well. The owner said to feed her vitamin/electro water and mashed food because she wasn't eating or drinking. She wouldn't eat the food, but she would eat blueberry yogurt and boiled egg so I fed her that. I finally just started syringe feeding her water because I mean what did I have to lose, her condition was worsening each day. So I syringe fed her for a week 3x a day and hand fed her. Then she stopped eating and I knew it was almost time. She ended up surviving 2 more days with me syringing water, then she passed in my arms while having a heart attack/seizure.

She hadn't laid an egg since December. She had green watery poop. Wasn't eating or drinking. Couldn't walk. She was breathing heavy. Very pale in the end. Her feet weren't curled until the last 3-4 days or so. Pretty classic signs of marek's. Before anybody asks, I did not have her tested. We were pretty certain it was Marek's, but I don't have to know because my other 3 are already carriers because of her and probably have been for a while. They also were vaccinated. The Marek's vaccine DOES NOT prevent marek's 100%. You vaccinate them in the hope that they will become immune to it. Hopefully this isn't what you have because it is a terrible thing to watch a chicken go through.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote: There were quite a few diseases that were mostly found at chicken production places, such as Marek's. Marek's actually wiped out 2/3 of the chickens produced for the public in the US in the 80's!!. Between Marek's vaccine and changes in the way they raised chickens, (all in all out, and disinfection between batches), they were able to decrease deaths to 5%.

Production chickens had problems with all these "new" diseases because of the close quarters and poor habits, but vaccines and cleaner housing, and not mixing ages changed that. However, raising backyard chickens was on the increase from the 90's, and it seems that these diseases are now our problem. We have been breaking all the rules for almost 20 years and we are paying the price.

Way back when, people generally got chicks, raised them, and their own chickens increased the flock. More closed flock. Now people buy chicks, then buy some chickens at swaps and auctions, or from other flocks, and expose a healthy flock to diseases. I should know, I only bought one hen from a breeder, and then he11 started.

On top of that, way back, you had layers and after 2 years they became soup. They were not pets meant to have a long life.

Food for thought. A closed flock, your own chicks hatched or day old hatchery chicks, and 99% of problems would disappear.

 

[seminolewind]

My RIR passed away about a month ago from what I highly suspect was Mareks. She was 2 years old. It started with her standing really still, next day she was laying on the concrete under the porch. I called my feed store, was told to check for egg binding, wasn't that. I called back the next day because she was the same, but couldn't walk very well. The owner said to feed her vitamin/electro water and mashed food because she wasn't eating or drinking. She wouldn't eat the food, but she would eat blueberry yogurt and boiled egg so I fed her that. I finally just started syringe feeding her water because I mean what did I have to lose, her condition was worsening each day. So I syringe fed her for a week 3x a day and hand fed her. Then she stopped eating and I knew it was almost time. She ended up surviving 2 more days with me syringing water, then she passed in my arms while having a heart attack/seizure.

She hadn't laid an egg since December. She had green watery poop. Wasn't eating or drinking. Couldn't walk. She was breathing heavy. Very pale in the end. Her feet weren't curled until the last 3-4 days or so. Pretty classic signs of marek's. Before anybody asks, I did not have her tested. We were pretty certain it was Marek's, but I don't have to know because my other 3 are already carriers because of her and probably have been for a while. They also were vaccinated. The Marek's vaccine DOES NOT prevent marek's 100%. You vaccinate them in the hope that they will become immune to it. Hopefully this isn't what you have because it is a terrible thing to watch a chicken go through.

The illness she had with those symptoms could very well have been Aspergillosis. Aspergillosis may or may not present with respiratory symptoms. Eastern Equine Encephalitis also has the same symptoms.

So what are the possibilities? Did you have mosquitos at that time? Any equine Positives in the area?
Did you get chickens somewhere other than day olds from a hatchery in the months prior to her illness?
Do your chickens stay in a coop at night with shavings or straw, do you have heat and humidity to grow Aspergillus?
How about the "newer" illness from lead toxicity or galvanized waterers?

If the hen that died was vaccinated, chances are good that she did not die of Marek's. If she was not vaccinated, were there any chickens already in your flock that were from elsewhere?

I recently had a "Marek's" hen die, and her necropsy said she died from Aspergillosis, and tested negative for Marek's. But had tumors on her organs. So I'll wait for the next necropsy.

 

[sanchabird]

The illness she had with those symptoms could very well have been Aspergillosis.  Aspergillosis may or may not present with respiratory symptoms.  Eastern Equine Encephalitis also has the same symptoms.

So what are the possibilities?  Did you have mosquitos at that time?  Any equine Positives in the area?
Did you get chickens somewhere other than day olds from a hatchery in the months prior to her illness?
Do your chickens stay in a coop at night with shavings or straw, do you have heat and humidity to grow Aspergillus?
How about the "newer" illness from lead toxicity or galvanized waterers?

If the hen that died was vaccinated, chances are good that she did not die of Marek's.  If she was not vaccinated, were there any chickens already in your flock that were from elsewhere?

I recently had a "Marek's" hen die, and her necropsy said she died from Aspergillosis, and tested negative for Marek's.  But had tumors on her organs.  So I'll wait for the next necropsy.

No Mosquitos at the time. Not sure about equine positives. The only chickens in the coop all came from the same place 2 years ago. Depends on the time of year for shavings or straw, at the time it was shavings. We have heat and humidity, but at the time it was still cool. No lead and I use plastic feeders and waterers. My feed store said it was most likely mareks because of the symptoms and the fact that her feet were curled. It may have been aspergillosis, but I didn't have to know because my other three still could be carriers. The mareks vaccine does not prevent it though. I have read that and talked to people who have said the same thing.

 

[cjpines]

There were quite a few diseases that were mostly found at chicken production places, such as Marek's. Marek's actually wiped out 2/3 of the chickens produced for the public in the US in the 80's!!. Between Marek's vaccine and changes in the way they raised chickens, (all in all out, and disinfection between batches), they were able to decrease deaths to 5%.

Production chickens had problems with all these "new" diseases because of the close quarters and poor habits, but vaccines and cleaner housing, and not mixing ages changed that. However, raising backyard chickens was on the increase from the 90's, and it seems that these diseases are now our problem. We have been breaking all the rules for almost 20 years and we are paying the price.

Way back when, people generally got chicks, raised them, and their own chickens increased the flock. More closed flock. Now people buy chicks, then buy some chickens at swaps and auctions, or from other flocks, and expose a healthy flock to diseases. I should know, I only bought one hen from a breeder, and then he11 started.

On top of that, way back, you had layers and after 2 years they became soup. They were not pets meant to have a long life.

Food for thought. A closed flock, your own chicks hatched or day old hatchery chicks, and 99% of problems would disappear.

That is food for thought. I have a healthy flock of 5. Thinking of getting two more age 8 weeks from a reputable poultry farm, I think. He said he has had no disease problems with the day old chicks he gets from three different hatcheries in Calif. I do know bringing in new chickens may present problems health wise, but I think I'll take a chance. I can't have roo's, so hatching my own chicks is out of the question. Any comment on this?

 

[seminolewind]

cjpines, all people selling chickens tell you they don't have it. My silkie pullet that brought it came from a reputable breeder.
Whether you buy from someone or not, think about if your girls are worth the risk or not. Just get your vaccinated day old hatchery chicks. Or an incubator. You may have to sell roos as meat birds. I am being sincere and love my roos, but the reality is that I have 7 now because I didn't want to give them up. A forever home is less chance than 1%.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:

You're right. The Marek's vaccine protects against the tumors, but the birds can be carriers if exposed to Marek's. I have talked to some hatcheries and they get a much better vaccine than we can. We get for 1 strain, and they get a 3-strain vaccine.

Please rethink getting advice from anyone in a feed store. I've heard some pretty wild things, and some making things up because they don't know.